Rain denies West Indies Women valuable World Cup rehearsal

West Indies Women entered their final match of the Evara Tri-Nation T20 International Series hoping to sharpen their preparations for the upcoming ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. Instead, they were left frustrated by circumstances beyond their control.

Persistent rain brought an abrupt end to their clash against Pakistan Women on Wednesday, denying the Caribbean side a valuable opportunity to spend time at the crease ahead of next week’s World Cup opener against New Zealand.

By the time the weather intervened, the West Indies had already seized control of the contest, reducing Pakistan to 117 for seven after 16.5 overs. With no possibility of resuming play, officials declared the match a no-result.

The outcome left the Windies with a respectable record of two victories, one defeat, and one no-result from their four matches in the tri-nation tournament, but the abandoned contest deprived them of the batting practice they had been eager to secure before the global event begins.

Stand-in captain Henry sets the tone

Without regular captain Hayley Matthews and veteran Stafanie Taylor in the line-up, leadership responsibilities fell to all-rounder Chinelle Henry, who responded with an influential performance.

The Windies could hardly have scripted a better opening.

Spinner Zaida James struck in the very first over, dismissing Muneeba Ali with just four runs on the scoreboard. The left-armer completed the wicket herself, holding onto a return catch to give Pakistan an early setback.

Henry then piled on the pressure.

The stand-in skipper removed both Gull Feroza and Saira Jabeen in quick succession, leaving Pakistan reeling at 29 for three after only four overs and firmly handing the initiative to the West Indies.

Spin attack tightens the grip

Pakistan’s innings never truly recovered from that shaky start.

Afy Fletcher joined the wicket-taking effort when she trapped Ayesha Zafar leg-before wicket for 17, reducing the opposition to 45 for four and strengthening the Windies’ hold on the match.

The Caribbean bowlers maintained disciplined lines and lengths, restricting scoring opportunities and forcing Pakistan’s batters into a defensive approach.

For much of the innings, Pakistan struggled to generate momentum as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.

Brief resistance fails to spark recovery

The visitors finally found some stability through Aliya Riyaz and Rameen Shamim.

The pair put together a 37-run partnership for the fifth wicket, the highest stand of Pakistan’s innings, as they attempted to halt the collapse and rebuild toward a competitive total.

Riyaz led the resistance with a top score of 24, while Shamim contributed 17.

Any hopes of a significant recovery disappeared, however, when Ashmini Munisar broke the stand by bowling Shamim.

That dismissal triggered another slide.

Pakistan lost three wickets for the addition of just seven runs, tumbling from a position of relative stability to 89 for seven as the Windies tightened their grip even further.

Captain Sana guides Pakistan past 100

With the threat of being bowled out before completing their allotted overs, Pakistan needed a late rescue effort.

Captain Fatima Sana answered the call, remaining unbeaten on 21, while Tuba Hassan supported her with an undefeated seven as the pair guided their side beyond the 100-run mark.

Their partnership ensured Pakistan reached 117 for seven before dark clouds and steady showers took center stage.

Unfortunately for the West Indies, the weather arrived before they could begin their pursuit.

Encouraging signs despite washout

Although the rain prevented the match from reaching a conclusion, there were plenty of positives for the West Indies to take into their World Cup preparations.

Henry led from the front with impressive figures of 2-13, while Munisar claimed 2-15 in another encouraging performance from the spin department.

The bowling unit functioned efficiently throughout the innings, consistently applying pressure and limiting Pakistan’s opportunities to build meaningful partnerships.

Still, the abandoned contest left a lingering sense of disappointment.

With their opening World Cup encounter against New Zealand looming on June 13, the Windies would have welcomed the chance to test their batting line-up under match conditions. Instead, they must take confidence from another strong showing with the ball while hoping the next time they take the field, the weather allows their preparations to continue uninterrupted.